Are you severely troubled right now?...Then look up and receive the quiet contentment of the Lord Jesus. Reflecting His peace is proof that you are right with God, because you are exhibiting the freedom to turn your mind to Him. If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. Allowing anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you either causes you to become troubled or gives you a false sense of security. (Chambers)
With regard to the problem that is pressing in on you right now, are you “looking unto Jesus” and receiving peace from Him?...We become troubled because we have not been taking Him into account.(Chambers)
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
John 14:27 NIV
Why do I allow myself to get so worked up and worried about things?
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Prayer-Battle in the Secret Place
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6
We must have a specially selected place for prayer, but once we get there this plague of wandering thoughts begins, as we begin to think to ourselves, “This needs to be done, and I have to do that today.” Jesus says to “shut your door.” Having a secret stillness before God means deliberately shutting the door on our emotions and remembering Him. (Chambers)
I need to learn how to shut the door more tightly than I usually do. I want closeness to my Father again...on a consistent basis. It really is a atyle I keep my mind focused on him.
When we truly live in “the secret place,” it becomes impossible for us to doubt God. We become more sure of Him than of anyone or anything else. Enter into “the secret place,” and you will find that God was right in the middle of your everyday circumstances all the time. Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything. (Chambers)
We must have a specially selected place for prayer, but once we get there this plague of wandering thoughts begins, as we begin to think to ourselves, “This needs to be done, and I have to do that today.” Jesus says to “shut your door.” Having a secret stillness before God means deliberately shutting the door on our emotions and remembering Him. (Chambers)
I need to learn how to shut the door more tightly than I usually do. I want closeness to my Father again...on a consistent basis. It really is a atyle I keep my mind focused on him.
When we truly live in “the secret place,” it becomes impossible for us to doubt God. We become more sure of Him than of anyone or anything else. Enter into “the secret place,” and you will find that God was right in the middle of your everyday circumstances all the time. Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything. (Chambers)
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
On Becoming a Hymn of Praise to God
Wow! Sometimes the words of Oswald Chambers just hit me right in the gut! The end of the passage today really rings true for me.
But if you will go on through the crisis, your life will become a hymn of praise to God. Never become attached to anything that continues to hurt God. For you to be free of it, God must be allowed to hurt whatever it may be.(Oswald Chambers)
If anyone reading this knows my personal testimony, you will know the pain I endured so that the Lord could draw me closer to Him. I truly want to be a hymn of praise to God.
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 NIV
But if you will go on through the crisis, your life will become a hymn of praise to God. Never become attached to anything that continues to hurt God. For you to be free of it, God must be allowed to hurt whatever it may be.(Oswald Chambers)
If anyone reading this knows my personal testimony, you will know the pain I endured so that the Lord could draw me closer to Him. I truly want to be a hymn of praise to God.
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 NIV
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Moment By Moment
Are you so closely identified with the Lord’s life that you are simply a child of God, continually talking to Him and realizing that everything comes from His hands?...You must allow Him to have His way with you, staying in perfect oneness with Him. (Oswald Chambers)
Oh...I am learning this now! He is teaching me. My desire is to live closely to him in a way that I never have before. A long time ago, I prayed that the Lord would make me into a woman of God..."No matter what it takes." He works slowly. Slowly...but he is changing me. Minute by minute as I learn to "be about my Father's business."
Monday, August 3, 2015
I Surrender!
As long as you think that you are of value to Him He cannot choose you, because you have purposes of your own to serve. But if you will allow Him to take you to the end of your own self-sufficiency, then He can choose you to go with Him “to Jerusalem” (Luke 18:31). And that will mean the fulfillment of purposes which He does not discuss with you. (Chambers)
That last sentence just totally cracks me up. It is so true of our Lord. He never discusses his purposes with me. It's all about trusting and relinquishing my need to know.
As Christians we are not here for our own purpose at all— we are here for the purpose of God, and the two are not the same. We do not know what God’s compelling purpose is, but whatever happens, we must maintain our relationship with Him. We must never allow anything to damage our relationship with God, but if something does damage it, we must take the time to make it right again. The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack. (Chambers)
I cannot even add to this. It is just awesome in and of itself. I surrender my purpose for yours, Lord!
That last sentence just totally cracks me up. It is so true of our Lord. He never discusses his purposes with me. It's all about trusting and relinquishing my need to know.
As Christians we are not here for our own purpose at all— we are here for the purpose of God, and the two are not the same. We do not know what God’s compelling purpose is, but whatever happens, we must maintain our relationship with Him. We must never allow anything to damage our relationship with God, but if something does damage it, we must take the time to make it right again. The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack. (Chambers)
I cannot even add to this. It is just awesome in and of itself. I surrender my purpose for yours, Lord!
Sunday, August 2, 2015
The Teaching of Adversity
What an absolutley timely and beautiful message was Oswald Chambers devotional today. It is something that I have been thinking a lot about. And now here it is!
John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Chambers goes on to talk about how it is necessary to go through trials in order to grow stronger in the walk with Him. Yes! Yes it is! I know this is what happened to me 28 years ago...and it will continue to happen as I seek to grow in Christ. It was honestly the most pivotal time in my life! It has shaped who I am in Christ in a way that no other experience in my life has. For that reason I am thankful for the trial I went through...although I still have residual pain from it. That residual pain serves as a reminder that I must put Jesus Christ absolutley first in my life.
The following is copied and posted from today's devotional.
The typical view of the Christian life is that it means being delivered from all adversity. But it actually means being delivered in adversity, which is something very different...God does not give us overcoming life— He gives us life as we overcome. The strain of life is what builds our strength. If there is no strain, there will be no strength. Are you asking God to give you life, liberty, and joy? He cannot, unless you are willing to accept the strain. And once you face the strain, you will immediately get the strength. Overcome your own timidity and take the first step. Then God will give you nourishment— “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life…” (Revelation 2:7). If you completely give of yourself physically, you become exhausted. But when you give of yourself spiritually, you get more strength. God never gives us strength for tomorrow, or for the next hour, but only for the strain of the moment. Our temptation is to face adversities from the standpoint of our own common sense. But a saint can “be of good cheer” even when seemingly defeated by adversities, because victory is absurdly impossible to everyone, except God.
Wow! This truly helps me in the perspective I have so recently adopted! I had decided that it all happened according to God's will and that He had a plan in it....but now it's even better! I feel privileged to have been chosen to be entrusted to endure such incredible hardship!
Praise the Lord!
John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Chambers goes on to talk about how it is necessary to go through trials in order to grow stronger in the walk with Him. Yes! Yes it is! I know this is what happened to me 28 years ago...and it will continue to happen as I seek to grow in Christ. It was honestly the most pivotal time in my life! It has shaped who I am in Christ in a way that no other experience in my life has. For that reason I am thankful for the trial I went through...although I still have residual pain from it. That residual pain serves as a reminder that I must put Jesus Christ absolutley first in my life.
The following is copied and posted from today's devotional.
The typical view of the Christian life is that it means being delivered from all adversity. But it actually means being delivered in adversity, which is something very different...God does not give us overcoming life— He gives us life as we overcome. The strain of life is what builds our strength. If there is no strain, there will be no strength. Are you asking God to give you life, liberty, and joy? He cannot, unless you are willing to accept the strain. And once you face the strain, you will immediately get the strength. Overcome your own timidity and take the first step. Then God will give you nourishment— “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life…” (Revelation 2:7). If you completely give of yourself physically, you become exhausted. But when you give of yourself spiritually, you get more strength. God never gives us strength for tomorrow, or for the next hour, but only for the strain of the moment. Our temptation is to face adversities from the standpoint of our own common sense. But a saint can “be of good cheer” even when seemingly defeated by adversities, because victory is absurdly impossible to everyone, except God.
Wow! This truly helps me in the perspective I have so recently adopted! I had decided that it all happened according to God's will and that He had a plan in it....but now it's even better! I feel privileged to have been chosen to be entrusted to endure such incredible hardship!
Praise the Lord!
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